Category Archives: ETEC 521

Is there a place for Western mathematics in Indigenous education?

For many years I have been concerned about the lack of Indigenous students taking academic math routes in my school. By default, very few Indigenous students take Physics 11 and 12, as academic math is the gatekeeper to these courses.  For my final project in ETEC 521, I am planning to make this my research topic: What barriers or obstacles exist for Indigenous students who are required to take Western mathematics courses, for high school graduation? What changes could I make in my pedagogical approach to teaching mathematics, that would nurture Indigenous values and knowledge in an authentic way?

This week’s readings and interview with Dr. Brown, have completely turned my questions upside down.

First came Michael’s essay, “After the Makah Whale Hunt: Indigenous Knowledge and Limits to Multicultural Discourse.”  Why would Indigenous students want to commit to hours of studying for a subject that is not place-based, and may lead to careers away from one’s homeland?  Western mathematics and science also reinforce the notion of the “superior present”, which also is counterproductive when one’s culture places an incredible amount of value on the past.

Then, I watched Michael’s interview with Dr. Brown. Wow. Personally, I think every educator needs to listen to Dr. Brown’s insights. Every. Single. Minute. Multiple pieces really disrupted my thinking.  Firstly, Dr. Brown points out that in Western education, the emphasis is to learn alone. And whatever you do, DO NOT look at someone’s test… He continues to say that in every Indigenous culture, people know that they learn more together than when they are alone.   Traditionally, math classes are not collaborative in nature. Strike two for Western pedagogy. Dr. Brown delivered another “strike” (and by strike, I really mean philosophical awakening, speaking for myself) when he used the example of the shortest distance between two points. It turns out, it isn’t a straight line, when one considers the Indigenous perspective. Lastly, Dr. Brown emphasises the importance of story telling that are anchored in the land, in turn conveying emotionally embedded values. I can not think of one math teacher that I have ever had that attempted to story tell. For what it is worth, I do tell personal stories, that are designed to help students emotionally navigate my classes.  My motivation is to establish trust and to model honesty… Could I claim to be modelling an Indigenous way of teaching?  I do not know…

Lastly, Hare spoke of the importance of language, dance, drumming, story telling, and carving in her chapter, “Learning from Indigenous Knowledge in Education”.  The horror of residential school life was also described in haunting detail. How does mathematics fit into Indigenous knowledge? Why would residential school survivors want to send their children and grandchildren to Western public schools?  How can I, as a math teacher, authentically incorporate Indigenous knowledge such that it is “at the core of all learning experiences for Aboriginal children and youth.” (Hare, p. 103)

I honestly don’t know.

 

Dr. Lee Brown video – UBC
Hare, J. (2011). Learning from Indigenous knowledge in education. In D. Long and O. P. Dickenson (Eds.), Visions of the heart,  3rd Edition (pps. 91-112).      Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press.
Marker, Michael, “After the Makah Whale Hunt: Indigenous Knowledge and Limits to Multicultural Discourse”, Urban Education, Vol. 41(5), 2006, 482-505.

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Filed under ETEC 521, Indigenous culture, Mathematics education

Is technology culturally neutral?

Perhaps it depends on your definition of neutral?

Definition A:  Not taking a side. Unbiased. Impartial.

Prior to the past two week’s readings, I have always been interested in advertising’s subliminal messaging. In Grade 9, I based my Science Fair project on this topic, along with eventually taking Psychology 11, religiously watching the Mad Men series and enjoying CBC’s “Under the Influence”. It would be difficult to dispute that messaging from advertisers have one goal— to sell their product and/or idea. I think it is also very legitimate to believe that as in advertising, Western influences are impacting indigeneous culture, amongst many other cultures, via technology and its messaging. In the essay, “Native People and the Challenge of Computers: Reservation Schools, Individualism and Consumerism” (Bowers, et al; 2000), the authors outline three fundamental ways native students interact with computer technology:

1. The Illusion of Autonomous Choice

Western culture seeping into students’ cultural belief systems.

2. The Commodification of Thought and Communication

Computer moguls IBM and Apple purchasing computers for schools thus reinforcing their brand for their future customers. (This is done throughout schools via vending machines, mounted TV screens and scoreboards, as well. For some reason, I need to go grab a Pepsi right now, but I don’t know why…)

3. The Objectification of Everything

The images on the screen are perceived as being real, in combination with educators’ mistakenly believing that student’s are constructing their own knowledge through the technology. Problematically, this “construction of knowledge” is being filtered through a Western lens.

Continuing on page 193, “… there is much more that can be learned from computers if the teacher understands that computers are a culture-mediating technology; teachers must understand how computers amplify certain cultural ways of knowing and how they reduce or eliminate others.”

It is clear to me that when these ideas are accepted as truth, I could not possibly argue that technology is culturally neutral.

However…

Definition B: From a chemist’s perspective, neutrality is achieved when a solution has a pH of 7.  It turns out that should one mix equal amounts of an acid with a base, a neutralization reaction occurs.

Let’s say for argument sake, that Western technology and the content it delivers, represents an acidic solution. Could we not then introduce equal amounts of non-Western, “basic solution” content, thus creating a culturally driven neutralization reaction?

As described in “Screen Memories Resignifying the Traditional in Indigenous Media” (Ginsburg & Faye, 2002), both indigenous producers in both Canada and Australia created authentic content in attempts to recoup lost histories that have been stamped out by the “dominant culture”.  Could more content be created to neutralize the Western acidity?

At the end of the day, although I think that I could adopt the latter definition in the future, we are far from obtaining equal amounts of “acid and base” technologically delivered content. To that end, I would have to side with the viewpoint that technology is not culturally neutral, regardless of the chosen definition.

 

Bowers, C.A., Vasquez, M & Roaf, M. (2002). “Native People and the Challenge of Computers: Reservation Schools, Individualism, and Consumerism.”

Ginsburg, F. (2002). Screen Memories: Resignifying the Traditional in Indigenous Media. In Media Worlds: Anthropology on a New Terrain.

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Filed under ETEC 521, Technology & culture